LNOTE 56P.;- for Rebated Documents, See SP 020 311-320

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 219 344 :SP 020 312 .

AUTHOR Body, Paul; Boros-Kazai, Mary TITLE Hungarian Immigrants in Greater Pittsburgfi, j880-1980. Educational Curriculum 'Kit 2. 4.INSTITUDION 'Hungarian Ethnic Heritage Study, Pittsburgh, PA. SPONS AGENCY American Hungarian Educators' Association, Silver

Spring, Md.; Office of Elementary and Secondary . Education (ED), Washington, DC. Ethnic' Heritage Studies Program., PUB DATE 81 -LNOTE 56p.;- For rebated documents, see SP 020 311-320. AVAILABLE FROMPaul Body, 5860 Douglas St., Pittsburgh ,PA 15217

N ($1.50). .

gDRS PRICE ,MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from.EDRS. DESCRIpTOR,S *Acculturation; Church Role; Citizenship; *Community Action; Cultural B#ckground; *Ethnic Groups; ---*Ethnicity; Immigrants; *Local History; ,Religious Cultural Groups; Religious Organizations IpENTIPIER$ *Hungarian Americans; *Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh).

:ABSTRACT 0 A summary of the actiVilies.and achievementa of the Hungarian community in the Pittsburgh (PenAsylvania) area since' 1880 is provided in this boolc161. The four sections contain discussions on:(1) emigrants from Hungary'and their background; (2) early Hungarian settlements in.Pi'ttgburgh and the Monongahela Valley; (3) Hungarian 'immigrant life,W900-1940: (employment anoCconomic conditions,. Hunigarpian community organizations, ,education and culture, andungarian AmeriCans and American society); and (4) post-war :Hungarian Amer.icans,'1950 -1980 (hew immigrants, postwar Hungarian community, and distinguished Hungarian Americans in Pittsburgh). Additional sources and references are cited. (JD) '= .

********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by .EDRS ate the best that can_be made from the original document. *************************************************************t4******* r

.HUNGARIAN ETHNIC HERITAGE STUDY OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA _AAWst-ThEducational Gurridulum Kit 2

PE.,;#!')::-.$`3a RE ODILCE Q -MICROFICHE ONLY m.tS HEN GaAN-E',.)31 a

-"C HUNGARIAN NR91N4A- C.EN7ER ER'C IMMIGRANTS U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NA TIONA rE OF EDUCATION IN GREATER PITTSBURGH,' 1880-1980

v `,11 prepared by Paul Body and Mary BorosKazai

Study Directdr: Dr. Paul Body

Pittsburgh,Pennsylvnia'

2 1981 HUNGARIAN ETHNIC HERITAGE STUDY OF PITTSBURGH

Dr. Paul BOdy Director Dr. Ruth Biro ,. Curriculum Coordinator Dr. Jonathan Flint Associate Andrew Boros-Kazai Mary .Boros-Kazai Research Associates Darbara H. Sahli Design Consultant Advisory Council: Rev. Paul bolvgry St. Ann Hungarian Roman Catholic Church, Pittsburgh Mrs: Melinda Bessko, Community College of -Allegheny County Dr. Pat Crumrine Payrilcasfrolk `Dance Group, Pittburgh

Dr. JokePh.MaVarewtoz . , Pennsyly.ania-Ethnic , . HentagesStudies Ceder -Rev. NieholaS Novak Firstu ng ariap Reformed - 4 .. Church, Pittsbuirgh is,/A6erfAtelkdvicl William Penn As4ociation, Pittsburgh , Mr. Nicholas Hungarian Profesional Society ofPittsburgh - . . The contents of this publica4ton. were developed under a grant from the Ethnic Heritagp,Studiee progr4n-i, United States Department of Education, The statements made in this publication do not necessqrjly.repreent the policy of thp United States Department of Education nor of the United St4tes Government . This study, was sporisbred by and carried out withThe support of the American-Hungarian Educators Associationof Washington, D.C.. . Cover design, logo, line drawings, anddesigri assistance by Barbara Fr, Sahli, Design and Drawing, TakornaPark, Maryland. 01981 Hungarian Ethnic Heiltage Study of Pittsburgh 3). HUNGARIAN ETHNIC HERITAGE STUDY 'OF PITTSBURGH

41.

Educational Curriculum Kit 2

HUNGARIAN IMMIGRANTS IN GREATER -PITTSBURGH 1880--1980 ./

Prepared.by:

L "Paul Body anciMary Bor9s-Kazai

Published by: HUNGARIAN ETHNIC HERITAGE STUDY GROUP, PITTSBURGH De. Paul BOdy, Director

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1981 INTRODUCTION

The Hungarian Eth'nic Heritage Study of Pittsburgh is , pleased to present a series of ten educational curriculum kits concerning the history. culture and current community life of Hungarians in Greater Pittsburgh The purpose of this series is to provide an easily under- standable guide to the .Hungarian ethnic community in s. Greater Pittsburgh The ten curriculum kits can be'read and understood by the interested student. teache ;, and general reader No special training in Hunganah studies is pre- surned The fotmat of curriculum kits was chosen for several reasons By treating specific topics sepaately, we wished t4 present to the reader, student and teacher a comprehensive view of a well-defined topic. Fol.' example, the reader interested in.current ethnic.life will find most of that information in kits 3 and 4, concerned with "Histonc.Hungarian Places" -and 'Hringanan Community Life,'' respectively. On the other hand, the historically-inclinedtreade will titan to kit2, garian.Immigrants. in Greater Pittsburgh, 1880-'10W." A- nother practical consideration was that teachers Should be able to use eachit as a basic information source, reading material. and teaching guide on a' specific topic. Those interested in several topics will probably review all kits and consult additional sources listed in each of them. The titles of the ten curriculum kits are:

1 Children's Hungarian Heritage, 2 Hungarian Immigrants in Greater Pittsburgh. 1880- 1980 3 Guide to Historic Hung arian Places in Greater Pitts- burgh 4. Hungarian Community Life in Greater Pittsburgh. 5. Hungarian Folk Traditions Revisited 6 Hungarian Folk Arts and Crafts 7 Survey of Hungary: Past and Present 8 Hungarian Histopdal Sources and Col'ections in Greater Pittsburgh 9 Bibliographical Guide to Hungarian-American Sources 10 Teaching Guide for Hungarian Curriculum Kits These curriculum kits respond to the special reed of the classroom teacher or re evan guide to Hungarian ethnic studies The first seven kits introduce selected subject areas, while kits 8-10 provide Auldelines.for research and teaching. Ancther feature of our study is that it makeswavailable an extraordinary amount of primary source material relating to the history olathe Pittsburgh Ilungarian community In the course of oUr research. we have identified and evaluated historical resources- preserved in 13 librares, 25 churbh collections and 24 organizational archives, amounting toa total of 62 separate documentary collections All major holdings in each collection are identified, evaluated, and annotated for the benefit of the prospective student and scholar in kit 8 To illu,strate the potential vaThe of these resources. we have used them liberally in our natrative. This pilblication is not .intended es the final wordon Hungariaias in Pittsburgh, but the first major step leading to the discovery and better understanding of the Hungarian heritage Our primary task was to prepare an inventory of documentary resources, to present selected aspects of the 4- Hungarian heritage, and to design} guidelines for classroom. teaching We h-ope that the results of our work will encourage students, teachers, and schvpss to explore the Hungarian heritage Wewelcome such explorations and are prepared to provide assistance if requested. We extend our sincere appreciation to all oersons and organizations who supported this undertaking. We ack- nowledge the financial assistance 9roviled towe by the Ethnic Heritage Studies Program of 'the United States De- partme)lt of Education; which made our study possible. We express our special thanks to thp Pittsburgh Hungarian community to all churches and synagogues, fraternal, social. and cultural organizations. as well, as individuals whore- sponded so generously to our requests We wish to extend LOUT appreciation to our-Advisory Council, representing both 'Hungarian organ atAtions and ethnic studies specialists. We appreciate also the support received from our organizational sponsor, the AmerZ'an Hungarian Educators' Associatin. finally, as project ,director I wish to take this opportunity to, commend the outstanding cooperation, dedication, and sus- 'CaJned perforrilanee, often under trying circumstances, of all study participants, and especially of their. families, whose - patience, sacrifices, and sense of humor made, the cOtn- plertion of this study possible.' CONTENTS

__,.... Preface s:' .f '1. Emigrants from Hungary and, thel Background' ,.,. '1 2. Early Hungananimmigrani Stplements!niPittsburgh' and the Monongahela Valley -T ...... s ... - 3 3. Hungarian Immigrant Life, 11900-1940. 5 Employment aid Economic Conditions Hungarian CommunilyfOrganizations EducatiOn and Culture Hungarian' Americans and American So'ciety 4. Post-War Hungarian- Americans, 1950-1980 26 New Immigrants. 1950-1980 ° The Post-War Hungarian Community Distinguished Hungarian-mericansin Pittsburgh 5. Sources and Referenc'es ..44

S 6

PREFACE This is a historical Survey of theGreater Pittsbu'rgh Hungarian community Alm-bst a century ago. Hungarian immigrants established their small communities in Oakland. 'Hazelwood, McKeesport, Homestead and other places Frpm these beginnings arose those HungariaA churches, frate4nal associations. and organizations which make up today's Hungarian community life in Pittsburgh But many other aspects of the past century are also of great interestFor example, the preservation of Hungarian cultural traditions in the Hungar- ian family and by partiC,ipation in ethnic church and school activities isnirtainly an important achievement The social and econo position of Hungarians underwent a very substantial change since the early years of this century This change can be obseNed within one family in just one or two generations In fact. (he Hunganah community as a whole had cftanged in many respects and is even now changing An explanation and documentation of these historical develop- ments is one of., the main purposes of this historical survey .But there, is another reason why such a study is indispen- Sable for undei-standing the Kingarian and other European immigrant experiences,,This is really thstory of people who decided at some point in their likes to leave their native land, to emigrate to a strange, faraway, -unknown land called America, and who struggled rather persislently to achieve for their children and families a life of hope and happiness It is remarkable that the great majority attained these goals, often under the most adverse circumstances But-they did more They also created, on their own initiative and -with their meager resources, close-knit communities to meet their deep needs for human fellowship and to preserve that sense of ferlovyship for their descendants The Hungarian and other ethnic 'communities of today have inherited from their immigrant parents a deep-felt desire for fellowship and community life One expression of that inheritance is the preservation of the ethnic cultural heritage in the form of language, folk dance, song, and fesivals The appreciation of that cultural heritage takes on special meaning if we understand it as intimately related to the immigrant s need for fellowship and brotherhood This historical summary prb.vides then a guideline to the diversified activities and achievements of the Hungarian community in the past century As far aS possible. we . / A consideredall .significant phases of Hungarian lifeWe. utilized original historical sources in preparing our narrative Contemporary documents and photographs seek to bring alive events and experiences of the past We made special effort's to illustrate the present status of the Hu.ngarian community by specific events, places and personts. We conducted personal interoews with prominent Hung tans reflecting the personal viewpoints` and the special contnbu- tioriS of recognized leaders in the Pittsburgh' Hungarian community. .

The beginnings of Hungarian immigrant life in Pittsburgh can be traced back to the decade of the 1880's The number and identity of the first settlers is not recorded in detail, but we do know of prominent immigrants, their activities and immigrant organizations / An early immigrant from Hungary was Jozsef Roth, who is considered a founder of the McKeesport Jewish community He arrived in McKeesport in 1872, opened a general store there, and later founded a bank with Henry Friedman JSnos Kato arrived in - 1886, held several industrial jobs, then opened a butcher shop in Duquesne J6zsef Bereznay acquired a grocery store in Pittsburgh and operated a restaurant ih Clairton. Jakab Klein owned banks in Duquesne and Homestead. The first Hungarian Jewish congregation was Poale 2edeck, founded in 1881, followed by the McKeesport congregation, Gemulas Chesed Anshe Ungarn, established in 1886 The First Hungarian Reformed Church was organized in 1890 Hungarian Roman and Greek Catholics joined in the Holy Mary Roman and Greek Catholic Sick Benefit Society of McKeesport in 1896 I ROTH JOZSEF ES FR BANKIIAZA 401 AHOW ',11011 WKW,PORI PN

711ustration 1Advertisement (1910) of the bank operated by Jozsel Roth in McKeesportaact-OVsburgh p .1. Emigrants from Hu ganiancrtheir Background.

Who were these Hungarians') Why did they come to Pittsburgh at this particular time?. What did they contribute to the, _development of Pittsburgh? These are some of the questions this booklet and its companion volumes will seek to answer People frog WeStern Europe had been emigrating to the 'United States since 1843 in great nurrjAers Hungarians, on the other hand. started to emigrate to the New World only around 1880 Thereasons for this can be found in the economic and social developm'ent of Hungary The Hungarian Revolution of 184'8, while resulting in maiol-soCial achieve- , ments, failed to establish Hungarian autwofny, or indepen- dence ftoniAustria Its military iojefat led to the emigration of cerv'eral hundred Hunganan'arnny officers to America Many' served in the Civil War at' officers and enlisted men Yet no significant emigration followed the Hungarian Revolution When large scale emigration begari around 1880. it wa caused-, by the impacts of industrialization and the mechani- zation of agriculture As agricultural operations were mechan- ized and large estates produced more at less cost, the peasant owners of very small plottcould not operate at a profit Many ,tere forced to sell their land and to obtain work

Ivan Janos impofialt aru uzIele BFRI /NAY 1014 , \4Y\12 ti% r II

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laustration2Advertdsementi1910) of the saloon and hotel of JQzsef fferez- .' nay4n Cla,rton. and of tie general store of Janos Ivan in Johns- town on large estates Industrialization destroyed handicraft occupations whic't) had-formerly provided supplemeritary sources ()I employment As these _traditional source's of livelihood declined. more and more agntultural workers and peasants considered migration to European countries and to America as an alternative _The year 1880 can be seen as the Start of a growing emigraticrn America. Prior to that year, an average of 1,000 persons per year had emigrated In the 1,880is the annual average increased to 15,000. in the 1890 s to 30,000. and in

1 I t

the 1900's to 100.000 .From 1870 to 1913,over 2 million persons emigrated from Hungary, about 80 per cent of them in the period after 1900 The decision JO emigrate was influenced by theeconomic conditions of Hungary, but as emigration becamemore widespread another important influence-tecamedecisive This was the very effective influence of successful emigrants who did much to persuade rlatives, friends, villagers to follow their example Through personal letters sent home, which were usually read aloud tc family, and frierills, emigrants gavean idealied picture of lifeAmerica. The savings sent home also made a strong impression But the most influential. impact was, a visit home by the emigrant himself. Hewas received in the village as a famous{person and as,such, he_, dramatized his successes in the Nevi World When-he did return to America he usually took seve9I relatives or friends with him On arrival in the United Stated, he assisted themin obtainirig lodging; a job, and gave them friendly adviceon American life In this manner an extensive kinship network veloped between Hungarian emigrants and their families bac home This netWork made it possible for youci, men to leave eirvillage in Hungary and to, enter an already establisd Hungarian community in American industrial center's.. Most of the rly emigrants from Hungary came from the northeastern coues, particularly Saros and Zemplen From here, news about th merican experienoes of emigrants spread to adjacent areaso that by 1900 many emigrants coming to Pittsburgh [lade rom the nearby counties of Abauj-Torna, Szepeg, Szabolcdt, tmar, Be-rcgand Un9. But even in later years tfie substantia ajority of those who s emigrated were natives of these nortastern Hungarian i-egions The reason for this is principally at this region of Hungary was probably the most disadvantag in its econ3hc deCielopment and accessibility to new InduS sal centers The people whoemigrated from the Hungan northeast. included several ethnic groups and religious den sminations First to emigrate,vtiere St yaks and Jews from .6rds Zempl6n counties. Only in the mid-1880's;did 'Hungarians and Ruttlenians.emigrate in greater numbers Thig pattern of emigration played an importarit role' in.the settlement of Hungarians in America By. the time Hungarians arrived, Slovak immigrants were well established and had well-organ-

I e 2 x

t- . -zed religious congregations As a result, Hungarians joined these congiegatiuns, but eventually national.rivalries led to \the establishrn.ent of separate Hungarian church organs -' --- , ,z a tibillog I The early emigrants included Roman Catholics. Greek . Catholics. Lutherans. Reformed. Greek Orthodox. and Jeeds- H ungan'ans were predominantly Roman and Grskot Catholics Reformed. and LutheranS Thema)onty of all ethnic groups and religions were agricultural workers Only about 16 per cent of the emigrants were of non-agricultural background. consisting of industrial workers. merchants. artisans, and miners . ---:- EmigratiOn from Hungary. 1$70- 1970 o * ^ The following chart shows the estimated number of emigrants

--- of Hungarian ethnic origin who emigrated from their homeland. in specific periods since 1870. %. Period Total Number Hungarian emigrants of of Hungarians to the Emigrationation*4 E4rating' United States ... . 1870 1914° 639,541 556,43Q:

1921 1941 150,000 25 ,000 1945-1970 z 300.000 67,869 14870 1'970 1.089,541 649,308

'2. EartV Hungarian ImmigrantSettlements inPrttstiAh and the Monongahela Valley 0 4, . t.'f- Hungarian immigrants,settled in Piltsbul-gtractording to very definite patterns They usually settled near their prospectiv.6 , .1'lac of emptoyment They alga teptiedtito 'form small esidentia communities` on the basis of Hungarian ethnia-,, religious, and even regional attanmen'ts As these settle- --, ments developed. each estabiiistied religious congreVations.' fraternal societies. schools. cultural associ4tiOns But the ,ong term stabillty.of these.ttlements depended on ,ne all

-... important factorthe jobs available The ebb and flow-of the early immigrant settlements are generally explained tly the trequent shifts in employment opportunities. especially in the co.1 mining areas 1, . 1 g 3 10 piustration3 Hungary belore 192C Shaded areas indicate ieg,ons with highest proportions of emigration to 1914 Illustration 4 Map of Greater .Pittsburgh Area with Designations of Early Hungarian Immigrant Communitie. We Can point tq two main oentets of, early Hungarian settlementHazelwood and McKeesport. Both became important immigrant centers in The sense that,they provided substantial employment opportunities and became centers of Hungarian religious, social, and cultural life. There developed of course many other Hungarian group settlements in Greater Pittsburgh, many of them quite substantial for a time.. But from the perspective of long-range development, Hazel- wood and McKeesport proved to be the most significant centers of immigrant life. Hungarians were well established in Hazelwood .by 1900. Originally they had settled along Bates Street in Oakland and spread to an area know as "Scotdh, Bottom." From there th' moved to the central areas of Hazelwood. Their main places` of employment were the Jones and Laughlin SteelCompany plants and the Glenwood railroad and machine shops. As the Hungarian qbmmunity expanded, many Hungarian-9wned businesses wereestablished along Second Avenue, providing another employment opportunity. The second important center of Hungarian, settlement was McKeesport, comparable in many respects to Hazelwood. The National Tube Company was.the main source of employment for Hungarians. As the Hungarian community developed, numerous Hungarian businesse's sprang up. Equally significant was the evolution of McKeesport into a regional center for Hungarians in the Monongahela Valley. Since many of the smaller Hungarian communities in Elizabeth, Monongahela, Donora, Monessen, CVisytoWn, and Brownsville were too 1 9' 1...) small and transitory to form permanent settlements, they oked to McKeesport as the center of their religious, social and cultural life Subsequently, as employment in the mining towns diminished, many,immigrants settled in McKeesoort p'ermanently, Within Allegheny County, two other Hungarian settlements were importantHomesteadand Duquesne Immigrants were attracted to both places by the United States Steel plants Those who settled in these two industrial towns were predominantly of the Greek Catholic and Reformed faiths Also interesting 1,s the concentration of irnmigrarits from two Hungarian regions. Ung and Zemplen counties, in Homestead and Duquesne Among the smaller settlements outside Allegheny County, several stand out Eleven Hungarian immigrants formed the core of a settlement in the Georgetown section of Leechburg ,Their employer was the West Leechburg Steel Company, forerunner of the Allegheny Ludlum Corporation Johnstown was another significant Hungarian immigrant center Bethle- hem Steel Company provided the main employment °Ivor- tunity there, while the nearby mines, especially in Vintdridale. Nanty GIQ, and Windber, attracted additional newcomers. Johnstown became a regiOnal center of Hungarian immigrants employed in the mines and the town itself DaisytoWn as welt) as Connellsvfile and Uniontown became transitory centers for miners \employed in the Monongahela Valley and West

Virginia minujog areas , 3. Hungarian Immigrant Life. 1900-1940 A cohesive Hungarian-American immigrant community was gradually established in the first four decades of the twentieth century The early immigrant settlements formed the founda- tions of that community Gradually-most immigrants gave up their original dreams of returning to the homeland Theit primary concern continued to be employment and making ends meet But they also became aware of the need to adjust to their American environment Yet, they sought to retain the native customs, traditions, values they brought with -them from their native land The fog-nation of a Hungarian-American community involved then an increasing relationship with American society. but in such a way that many Hungarian traditions were preserved and adapted to American social life Four significant aspects of Hungarian community lifesug-

5 1 fy gest the aspirMions, difficulties, and successes of the early immigrants. Selected documents obtained in the course of our studies will be used to illustrate these particular issues. Employment and Economic Conditions Employment and conditions of work wee e quite obviously, one, of the most important concerns of t immigrant In the ,early days, the immigrant obtainedemployent as unskilled worker in manufacturing plants and mines of the Pittsburgh region One of the most serious' problems faced by the immigrant worker was unemployment. When long periods of work stoppages occurred, his hopes fasaving funds to take back to the homeland were suddenly shattered The savings accumulated had to be spent for bare necessities, Some returned home temporanly. Others stayed. hoping for the resumption of work. These immigrant hopes and fears are well expressed in a rebort on Hungarian immigrants in McKeesport. published in the Hungarian Catholic.weekly, Magyar Zaszlo, in 1908. a year of economic crisis and serious unemployment Following are excerpts from that document

I am visiting the boarding house of K6roly Farkas in McKeesport All boarders are at home. The machines are silent, the smokestacks idle. and only a few men are busy, at the tube plant Uncle Zsinzt tells us his story. I have had nd work for 10 months. Before the work stoppage we were well off AQood worker was able to make 5-6 dollars a day in a Pittsburgh mine The mines produced tons of coal, thousands of workers were busy. and there were still many, empty coal cars There was akkays good cheer and happy singing among Hungarians McKeesport, Horrtestead and the other Hungarian places were satisfied. But now'? Hundreds of thousands of workefs are willing to work, but they have nothing to do Four fifths of the work f6rce at the Carnegie plants were laid off In Butler, 9,000 men are jobless, among them several thousand Hun- garians, g Only God knows how we survived the winter The pastors did much to save us from starvation Many received free food and lodging. Some returned to the homeland Bpt Hungary is far away and the trip very expensive. Most of ustayed on, hoping for better times. . .. . it..

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Illuskaboo 5the authentic list of the Hungarian victims of the terrible mine 'accident at Cheswick PA Charter Of Verhovay Aid Association

BE. IT k Ott fi that the sshst :Merl hasing associated themselves together for the outgo.. of formrn( s lonfoal society for Iluegar an American c,iens ask) Dem; &serous of becoming trrorpor steel to the plvtIon. 1 the Art of the Generalssernhly of the Commonwealth of Peones!. en a eti,le4 ' An Art topuovIdfor the Imo,porsto nod Ergot:awn of cert.. C,9.. APPweel the 22th das of A nnl, A D 10.71 .1 as supple Its do hereby declare, set forth end cer trig h,a ltv foNo.ine are the purpoo., otjects .11V.IC and corditorri of their said awro cotton for :00 up r, toctvthe desire to he intorgor dad IThe rws n of the Corto.st.on be ,Verhovay Belo:se-Oyu) Egylet Alagosalkilyak- k 2 The pun.iw And rud A ..,motion hdt1,141.4, to their menThres e. inr!..torn p 1., no I.nefits in the cut labial tenefets an ease of death

....d0osilow , .se of mod and every Oa, not and thing yetainIng to a esecret benefolal erfathltioU

1 Th. p ue the ..1.-oes of the (my...1[ton is to In transacted I, the Borough of I I k AI. tonI' liort

CaaJtt, I. to runt per; to a 40 6 Ti,. r, n . ..nd re ter,e, of Ito rul are or follows

Name Reedroo 1,1 it rertons Ilscleton.ea. John N. ninth IfstletonPA. JO, 1:11;cly 11.140/1,Pa ChedIA Iluperfire, Pa. eeo ).1ift,t4 Mt flessont Pa. Phn Mt Plesrsn .1,. C Aft Keksant, Ps

Illustration 6Original charier of the Verhovay Aid A-ssociation 1886

-L 7 Yet we hae accomplished, much America gav6 us the opportunity towork Our strength, mind, and will enabled us to succeed in the new world We ,came as peasants, but we mastered the most difficult indusinal jObs. After a period of learning, we advanced to higher industrial jobs. Our progress demonstrates that we can "perform well in the American industrial world We are proud of ourachievements'Hungarian workers produce bathtubs in Zelienopte, freight-cars in But- ler, and pipes in McKeesport. And only a short time ago we arrived as unschooled peasants and shepherds" Another very important problem to the immigrant was the frequency of industrial accidents They occurred especially in steel plants and the mines. Those reported in Pittpurgh steel plants involved explosions-resulting in-death or injury to a small number of workerS. An exception was the major accident in 19071 at the ,Jones and Laughlin Steel Plant on Second Aveue, resulting in the death of 40 workers, of whom one was Hungarian Single mine accidents, on the other hand. claimed the lives of quite a large number of workers, many of thagi immigrants. One of'the most tragic was the mine acct ent of Cheswick, resulting in the death of 58 Hungarianip 1904 The terrible accident of 1907 near Van Meter resuld in the death of 110 Hungarians. IllustrationIs a contemporaryClocument listing the name, age, religion,antal status, and Hungarian places of origin of those who died in the mine accident at Cheswick in 1904. The document is entitled. "The authentic list of the Hungarian victims of the terrible mine accident at Cheswick, PA" These tragic events showed the need for the provision-of accident, death, and illness benefits to Hungarian immigrants They also illustrated the low esteem of Hungarian and other immigrant workers in American qociety and contributed to a growing desire in the Hungarian community to improve their economic and social position These trends are illustrated in the following commentary of Reverend Kalman Kovacs, pastor of St. Stephen's Roman Catholic Church of McKees- port- Probably the gr eatest tragedy in the history of Hungarian immigrants was the mining disaster of Naomi and Dar The first accident, near Fayette City, resulted in the death of 24 Hungarians. The second one, near Van Meter, claimedothe lives of 110 Hungarian miners. Another recent accident illustrates the predicament of the . Hungarian immigrant.Fourteen Hungarians died because 1N1 8 their platform collapsed beneath them The workers had questioned the .safety of the platform, but their foreman ordered them to use it any way, adding the following comment ihe Never mind' There are many more Hungariansthat will replace _your In all these accidents. the orphans and widows of the deceased breadwinner receive no compensation Since the families of immigrants are not considered residents of this country. they have no legal claims for compensation The factskre that the Hungarian immigrant is engaged in a terrible struggle for existence He contributes very hard and strenuous work for every penny he earns In return, the least he should expect is respect and consideration for his family members in case of his death Hungapan,Community Organizations

Next to the need for employment. an equally essential need of the Hungarian immigrant was that for fellowship, security. and community lifeIrfitially, as demonstrated by serious industrial accidents. the need for caring for the injured worker and in case of death for his family arose Without the traditional social structure to depend on. a substitute community environment had.to be created. It was for this reason that the earliest organizations among the Hungarians . indeed among many other ethnic groups were the fraternal benefit associations, which would insure some financial Security in case of death or illness These early. and often shortlived Hungarian benefit societies bore such, names asBela IV Independent Benefit Society of McKeesport 'after a medieval Hungarian King. First Hungarian Men s Benefit Society of Braddock. The Pittsburgh and Vicinity Reformed Benefit and Church Society. and the First Hun- garian Miners' Benefit Society of Scalp Level The two most important of these fraternal benefit societies in Western Pennsylvania were the Verhovay Fraternal In- surance...Association and the Workingmen s Sick and Benev- olent Federation, both of which maintained their hea8qtiarters in Pittsburgh from 1926 and 1908 respectively., The Verhovay Association, which still exists in a much- developed form as the William Penh Fraternal Association, has its roots in PennsylvaniaIn 1886 a _small grdup of Hungarians -in Hazleton decided to forM ari organization which would aid fellow Hungarians Legend has itthat

Q 9 1 (...) thirteen men contributed a dollar each to form the basis for this benefit society. In any case. it was a small core which began and maintained the organization in the initial decades of its° existence... During the 1920s and the 1930s this organization was able to merge with other societies and thus grew spectacularly. World War I had meant that many of the immigrants became permanently separated from their homeland Although some did return to Hungary after 1918, most stayed and resolved to make.the United States their permanent homeland As a result, an ethnic organization Could more easily set out to expand and forrn.a national network. the Verhdvay leadership modernized its organization and began to operate on a more businesslike level. Among the early local benefit societies, mostdisappearedin_a_relati_vely short period of time because business practice and experience were lacking The Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Assodiation moved its headquarters to Pittsburgh in 1926 and has continued to function as the largest Hungarian fraternal in the United States In addition to offering various insurance benefits to its members, the Verhovay organization also provided cultural activities and fellowship for its members. During the 1920s and the 1930s the leadership promoted kqowledge of Hungarian, culture and language. Itpublished) the first ABC book for local Hungarian schools. Many of the branches of the Verhovay Association had their own building where the membership coulcheirM meetings and have other social get-togethers. To the religious needs of Hungarians in the Western Pennsylvania area, a network of Hungarian ethnic churches of various denominations were established. By the 1890s there were a sufficient number of Hungarian immigrants in the area to /friable them to think about creating a permanent., home for pcticing their particular religious beliefs Hungarian congregations.were organized by the Reformed. Roman Catholics. Byzantine d!ci t Baptists, Jews, and Lutherans, Throughout the years, some fifty Hungarian churches served their ethnic congregations in the greater Pitts burgh area. Some in outlyrng areas have since ceased'to exist or have become totally Americanized, but even today some twenty of them continue to serve the Hungarians, and to preserve a portion of that heritage which the memberS forefatherg brought to the United States anil Western Penn- sy4vania around the turn of the century The founding of these congregationsj was the work largely 10 42:....222011001

Illustration 7 Charter of the First Hungarian and *Slovak Evangelical and Reformed St. Paul Church, 1890 Illustration8 The First Hungarian Reformed Church, chartered in 1890 built in Hazelwood in 1904 Illustration 9 St Stephen s Roman Catholic Church. McKeesport, in 1914 Illustration 10 Transfiguration of Our Lord ByzantineRite Catholic Church McKeesport of that. first generation which became separated fromits° homeland and needed to reestablish a community which they had left behind in the old country. Part of that community was formed by the security provided by the benefit societies mentioned earlier, but these largely agrarian Hungarian 20 1 immigrants also had a religious need That could best bemet by the establishment of their own churches, wherethey could hear the Word of God in their own language, practicetheir traditional religious customs, an0 associa4with fellowcoun- trymen The church therefore' Scatved botha religious and a social need The ftestor was an impo(tant member of the community In the initial years. the pastors who came from 'Hungary were strong-willed: active, energetic individuals who united the local Hungarian community, establisheda permanent hOuse. of worship, and sustained a sense of community for succeeding immigrant gendrations , The first Hungarian church established in the Pittsburgh area was the First._ Hungarian Reformed Chwurch, originally known as the First Hungarian and Slovak Evangelicaland Reformed St Paul Church The congregation.was organized in 1891 The following year they erected the first Hungarian Reformed Church irr the United States The homeof this congregation was on Bates Street from 1892 to 19t14, when the present stone church on Johnston Avenue in Hazelwood was built It was from this core that other Reformed churches were begun throughout tfie Monongahela Valley and Western. Pennsylvania Homestead, Johnstown, Munhall, MqKeesport. Springdale. Brownsville, Duquesne. Daisytown,and Rankin all )had establisptkl Hungarian Reformed congregationsbe- fore 1920 andcontiniie to serve Hungariancongregations to this day The Roman Cat,.kiolicg of Hungarian descent founded their first church in the Pittsburgh area in McKeesport and called it Sttephen s At the time of its dedication in 1901. thiswas ththird Hungarian Roman Catholic church to be constructed in the United States The church continues to serve alargely Hungarian congregation at its location on Beacon Avenue The silver jubilee celebrations of the churchin 1924 are- preserved on a rare film showing the procession in McKees- port in which all local and nearby H4ngarian clubs participated Roman Catholic Hungarians in Pittsburgh began to organize their own congregation before the First World War In 1919 the were finally able to begin the construction pf their own church, St Ann's, in Hazelwood on Chatsworth Avenue Three Hungarian Byzantine Rite Catholic churches were established in the Pittsburgh area. The first was St..Elias founded in 1905 As customary, a sick and benefit society had been established earlier and served as the core for organizing 21 O

the congregatibn and then a church. McKeesport Hungarians also established their own church Iti1916, the TransfigurtftiOn. of Our Lord Church on Sixth Street. In DuquesneHuntarians also established a congregation, served until 1952 4,,fhe priest from McKeesport r`os The only Lutheran congregation-m-Western,Pennsylyav,.. was formed in Hazelwood in the 11920S' In 1925 theo,;.'. dedicated their church building on Hazelwood Avenue. The4 congregation wasdsbanded in 1978;but the church building4, cIntinUeS tostand,serving another congregation .in the n ighborhood None of the Hungarian Baptist churches survived beyond the 1950.s The congregations fri McKeesport and Homestead.' were small, and the Hungarian Baptists gradually, joined American churches. Jews from Hungary were among the first Hungarians. to settle in the Pittsburgh area. In th,e summer of 1881. the Orthodox dohgregation Poale Zedeck was founded by 15 Jewish immigrants from Hungary In 1885 the-congregation purchased a building on Federal Str.eet, now the location of the Civic Arena In 1929 the Poale Zedeck Synagogue in Squirrel Hill was dediCated and serves to the present day the Orthpdox Jewish community, many of them of Hungarian

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Illustration 1,1 Gemilas Chesed Synagogue. Third Avenue, McKeesport. Illustration 12 Poale Zedeck Sragoque on Shady Avenue. Squirrel Hill

13 't!,.1kneX,'",,;:s

4 \NisSZ, e *1'

Illustration 13 Sisters of the Divine Redeemer Jewish descent. It 1886, Hungarian Jewiih immigrants founded Gemilas Che,sed Congregation in McKeesport In 1891, the congregation purchased a permanent place of woqh,p on Third Avenue. Over the year,- leaders of-the congrIgation included several prominent Jews of Hungarian descent, including Morris Farkas and Aia'dar Pollak. In 1963, the congregation dedicated its 'present synagogue, located -- in White Oak -RovAlthough the churches and their associated societies served both religious and social needs, the Hungarians also etablished secular clubs to round out their community life They formed cultural, musical and social organizations These organizatiOns served as social clubs where the members enjoyed each other's company and could speak their native tongue. Also, Mere was an attempt to meet specific cultural. musical, civic and educational needs of the Hungarian corn munity. ' The First Magyar Self-Culture Society of Homestead, established in 14909, incorporated educational and cultural, aims' into its by-laws. The Hungarian Independent Singing SOCA.Y of Allegheny, , established in 1916, was less patriotic and morepohtical in orientation. fts purpose was in part to instill in the workers socialist ideals and to encourage enthusiasm by singing the inspiring songs of the international workers' movement The Hungarian Social Club of McKeesport, although desig-

*14 , . . nated as a pure.ly social club in its 191 2 charter, ha'd originally bee mtormed to foster active support of the efforts in Hungary to introduce secret and universal franchise Members. although not obligated to. could contribute an additional dollarto their dues and designate.it as a contribution to be sent to Hungary to aid the suffrage reform .The present American Hungarian Social Club ofHazelwOod originally was established, for civic purposes Chartered in 1917 in the miastiof the First World War. one of the aimsof the club was the prombtion of good citizenship The 1920s and the 1930s were the golden age of Hungarian ethnic itfewWestern Pennsylvania In addition to those clubs already in existence, there was an effort, made in these lecades to coordinate local activities bcreating one um- brella organization This was true in Pittsburgh, Homestead, and Duquesne. where Grand Committees or CentralCommit- Committe of Hungarian Churches and Clubs later calledk the United Magyar Civic Association 1U M CA ). wascreated from representatives of cher a hundred local clubs throughout the greater Pittsburgh area The committee sfirst accomplish F,ment was the organization of an annual Magyar Day at N e n ny A, ood Park the first of which had beenheld in 1916 Due to the War and its ,Aftermath, none were held. until 1926, but since that time it has been an annual event . , ..Education and Culture

.. - Another vital community activity woas the preservationof of-iungarian cultural traditions The establisled church congregations were primarily involved in this effort, butalso the socia*nd fraternal organizations contributed to itFrom the early years, the congregations attempted to establish Hun- garian- language schools The first one of these wasthe Hungarian summer school of the First Hungarian Reformed Church, in Hazelwood, introduced by the ReverendSandor Kalassay in 1904 The school was staffed by lay teachers. assistant ministers and lay volunteers A similar school was opened at St. Stephen's Roman Catholic Church in McKees- port in 1907. continuinguntt11912 The announcementof the McKeesport summer school gives us a good idea of its organization and curriculum.

15 ?, The school of the Monongahela Valley Ronan Catholic Hungarian Parish will open next week. Children six years of age will be accepted Numetous parents residing in all parts of Pittsburgh have registered t ),eir,children. Parents who live at a distance may place their children in Hungarian homes for a .fee of $2.00 per:week. These children will be under the supervision of the teacher or the ,pastor. Enrolled children will obtain books from the school. Subjects of instruction include Hungarian language, reading writing, religion, Bible study, Hungarian geography, history and music. School will be held daily from 9 to 1 T:30 and from 1 to 3. No classes are held on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. asses will continue for two months.. 4 In 1912, Reverend KdImgn Kovics was successful in

securing the services of four members of the Sisters of the*4 Divine Redeemer from Sopron, Hungary to assume teaching duties in McKeesport The four sisters, Mother Sabina, Sisters Berchmanna, Cassiana and Friderika arrived in October, 1912. They took over all teaching activities of the parish. They proceeded to organize teaching programs throughout Greater Pittsburgh in all locations where Hiingarian Catholics resided. ..\They gave instruction on a weekly basis. By 1914, they taught 500 children in 18 separate communities. One of the important results of their teaching was an increased attachment of Hungarian immigrants to Hungarian cultural traditions. In addition to providing excellent instruction, they imparted to their classes an appreciation of Hungarian

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Illustration 14. Reverend Kalman Kovacs, founder and first pastor of St. Stephen's Roman Catholic Church in McKeesport. rAdoko. ugyani el, hogy. egy hela vdlgyben, az a magyar okta- helyen akkor, a mtkor ott a ma- tits; a melykrt mi. harom ev 6ta. gyar tanitu. unnrar tobb mint 50 valosigos kalvarnikat jarunk isaolas gyermeket tudott dssze- be hat ep asert lett Magyar- hozni, akkor azzal allott 05 az orszagszerteis,mert. Amerika 1$1colat:ad6 igazgat6, hogy. ezek- ,Monongahela vblgye, mert'ama- neka-)Iouvendekekr.ek ha o.t gyar neenzeti eszniFitt, mindig akartiak t'-wiabbra is tanulni,a legyozhetetlennelt latsz6 akada- "et hol tanulitak, hat havonta ezert, lyokkal kttzdOtt mega gyke- illetve csupantcaak a hely'isegert: lemert. - egyenkent 50 contet kell ezutin Mert hogy e Oren is dios8 es fizethitik ? Nnyes eredruallyeket ertilnk ,Pedig ez teny' Es sajna. ez ep azt nemcsak az igazolja, hozy ma Ptttsburgban tortent meg, avagy mar 18 helyen dnituirk, de arts, ekymaink helyen egyenesen azt hogy Otekben, teijesen ,Tdegenz. kuvetettek, hogy a mi magyar nyelv0 gyerniekek lettek magya- iskulas gyermekeink. necsak ma- rokka, meg pedig ugy, hogy ai.ok radjanak ki minden mitsfele is- egyesel, nag, idoselb ttstvercik- '

-kolab61, dea Telletchogy csakis, nekis'teateiva mgre,,zeltek oda jarjanalf, hol a magyar :lenni, atna oktatasban. tanitasra hetente ket brat emee'd- Pedig p az ilyeneknek nek nekik .tanulnI, hat e melle eleinte' ye 'telen nehezen esett - szttiok az illetikjernizlom rends. azf a ma, , a'z61 ymondani, a tagsagi (link is fizesseic. minek er elmet r;ias nyelvben.Ok Mien k, ha egyes helyeken rtettekde myarul az't edjbg magan hazagnal, ci.t nehol meg nem,,tu talc. Es gns nemcsak kilnyha helykegbenis vilreztek lelke gyakorolga azt,. derektiszte1endonovereink a de a teljesirt meben: arra magyar tanitast: annak ime ilyt- megisokat is megtanttanak,' nek es ezek voltak az okai. Aai napig 11-helyen hallgat- it elsO keresztenyekKata- tuk mar at: ebben az e'vben, a nu kombakban im'aviietCetak, meri- m: yar iskolaink aro vizsga kaban pedig egos helyeken , de bOszken elmondh itjuk.' konyhakba szorult 1,1 a Monunga- gy ha minden fele ii.ven - redmenyt lennenek :Wesel(

Illustration 15'Reportof HY 1441na'n ovacs on, HvganaNelttlitn ; Greater Pittburgh GqftjUccommunitn . t folk traditions' and customs.hey arranged for frequent public performANnes of childres plays, traditional ChriStalaso pastorals, soligs,prderx;s and fk celebrations. These presentations weke performe by te young for the gener. ansh .et Lithe nce: They p ed a vey important role in nsming Go folk traditiol's-topal y.oungeneration as we as in stren thenw the community snt of all Hungan s F r.(quentiy, chiidren slays were perfor ed at major seat sonar social events. ch as autumn.° spring dances

17 .6 MEGHIVO! FOTISZTELENDO KOVATS KALMAN SZERETVE TISZTELT PLEBANOS URUNK, NEVENAPJA ALKALMABOL

1921. evi Oktober he 12-en, szirdin este fel nyolc orakor McKEESPORTON KgARKET STRE'ETI ELKS HALLBAN GYERMEK SZINIELOADASSAL EGYBEKOTOTT NAGY 0"SZI BALT TARTUNK, A KOVETKEZO MOSORRAL: 0c1.6:16 dal, enekli A templorni enekkar. Kaszont6t mondanak: Belustyik Jani, Smidt Gist, Belustyik Joni. Rik6ezi hiv., eneklI, A templond enekkar. AZ ARVA. ISTEN KARDJA. Ster416k:

Lily, , Tanczos Lizi Aiwa, ...... Danko Jolanka Szerepl6k: Kati nini, . Perhics ROziIhisz gazla, JuszkO Pali Tunderkiralyn6, ZambO LiziSara,felesege, GeOt Margit Torpek. Nagy Pista, Janovits Il.juoi, ...... Schneider Jolan Tunderkek: Szajbert Juliska, Ste- fan Jolinka, LOska Mariska,JOska, Koleszank Mihaly Nemeth Emmi, Kovacs Lizi,Jancsi, pitztorgYerek, Takics A. Szuetta Alice. Kormos hen-Pisti, N chez LaCzi ke, Paszternak Anna, Rusz-Sarikr, Szajbert Katita ka Margit, Takics Margit. Fazekas,ROzi ° Illustration 16 Announcement of children plays and Hungarian dance, Sep- tember 29, 1921, in -Magyar Katholikus Zaszlo." Frequently, children's plays Were performed at major seasonal social events, such as autumn or spring dances. Illustiation 16 isanannouncement of the "Grand Autumn Ball" in 1921 and four children's performances held to honor the name day of Rev. KgImgq Kovics, Pastor of St. Stephen's ?Roman Catholic-Church in McKeesport. Several church congregations establiOed choral groups and musical socities. They performed Hungarian religious and folk songs at traditional community festivities, such as seasonal dances, holiday celebjations and anniversary events. Anvexample of a well-established musical group was the singing society of the McKeesport Reformed Church, whose members of 1915 are shown in Illustration 17. The seculai'clups in the Pittsburgh area also contributed to the cultural life of thy Hungarian community Amblig the first acts of the newly 16rmedFirst Magyar Self-Culture Society of

182 7 Homestead in 1909 was the establishment of a library The .4 club made a special effort to acquire the works of American' Hungarian write 'rs and to subscribe to Hungarian-language newspapers. It was also 'this club which in1J29 supported the establishment of a permanent Hungarian radio program in Pittsburgh The community life of the Hungarians wasenhancekiby regular presentations'of travelling drama companies from New York, Chicago, and Cleveland Hungarians in the Pitts- burgh area ha the opportunity to see their favorite operettas and prays Tal nt within the community made possible the establishmenof local drama clubs,' whos,e performances were. always w attended For exakmple, in 1919 when the newly-formed Ha(wood Drama Cl bb performed a play by a local author from St Ann's Church, the 350-seat auditorium they used was filled to capacity for two performances The First Hungarian Cultural Society of McKeesport enjoyed similar popularity when pe?forming such- old favorites as Janos Vitez and Bob Herceg. Hungarian`s preserved a special attachment to their homeland through the celebration of national holidays On these occasions, speeches and poems were recited by prominent members of the community Gy6rgy Szecskay or Pal Szarvas, -both local Hungarian poet-journalists, often provided an uplifting message. Dates of special significance were March15, whichcom- memorated the anniversary of the 1848 revolution, and October 6 in remembrance of thirteen Hungarian generals executed by Austrian authorities in 18'41 following the 1848 revolution August 20, St Stephen s Day, provided the opportunity for the grandest celebrations On this date the Hun garian honored their first Christian king and the. founder:of the state These festivities also incorporated thecelebratibn of the harvest season At St Stephen s Church in McKeesport, this day was the greatest holiday oral!. when local Hungarians of all faiths joined together in celebration In the late,,1920s the Magyar Day activities at Kennywood Park were closely tied to ttlis late summer holiday In thisway,national pride was fostered and transmitted to the entireHungarian Amer can community One of the most memorable St. Stephen's Days was held in 1924, when St. Stephen's Roman Catholic Church in McKees- port celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary ft was a major community and religious festival, which was recorded on film

19 `:1 s that is available for viewing at St. Stephen's Church. The announcement of the day's events is shown on Illustration 1 8. They included the traditionalSt.StephensDay procession led by his Excellency Hugh Boyle, the Archbishop of Pitts- burgh, high mass, dinner, parade from the church to the Elks Hall? to be followed by children's plays and community festivities.

Illustration 17 S Singing Society of the McKeesport 4Hungarian Reformed Church, 1915

\MEGHIVO! A Monongahela volgyi Sz. Istvan Kir. rem. kath. magyar hitkozseg 25 eyesJubileuma McKEESPORTON, PA., 1924-1K AUGUSZTUS HO 24-EN, azaz aSzent Istvan Kiraly napi bucsun, Fdt.Kovibs szeretett plebinosuk tiszteletese, aki a hitkozsig is a templom alapitoja is 25.6+ Ota lelkipisztora,

HODOLATOS UNNEPSEGET "rendez, amelyre mindenkit tisztelettel meghiva Rendezobizottsi g. 'PROGRAM:

0 A Szent Istvan buesu tiapjan 4.A Mina Corigregand d. e. fe1 H Orakor bucsui kor- hen Koleszank Margit be- menet.amelyetmelts.esfit. szil. Boyls Hugh ?ittsburghi megyis 5.Ariladhoninaknipe,inekli paspok ur fog vezetni. a Jeans Neve enekkara. 11 Orakor Onnepi szent mise Es predikaczio. 6. A`13 CSISKATULKAIA Nagy szent mi e utan lunch- alkihni jelenet. ol4s a temploitr lath Hallban.

Ilustration -Progra at-the-4-1924 St Stopherra Day Web-rated-by -Si. Stephe`s Roman Catholic Church, McKpesport.

29/1:0. The cultural pride of the Hungarians received agreat boost by the establishment of the HungarianNationality Room in the Cathedral of Learning on the Universityof Pittsburgh campus. This successful endeavor cameabout a'S a result of the cooperation of the entire Hungarian communityand the University. By the late 1930s, the-community'ss,tinancial support for the Room amounted to$15,000 The annual Magya;. Day at Kennywood Park from 1926 oncontributed a significant portion of its proceeds to theestablishment of the Room A special Hungarian Room Committee.consisting of prominent local Hunganans,such as DrSamuel Gornory, helped in the setting up of the Room The Hungarian government enthusiastically supported the projectIt sponsored p special competition to select the architect whowould plan the furnishing of the Room In September1939 the Hun- garian Nationality Room was dedicated as oneof the first of the nationality rooms in the Cathedral of Learning For half a century, the PittsburghHungarian community .c was the horde of ,theHungarian-American writer Gydrgy Szecskay Szecskay was a prominentand active member of 1912 the WesternPennsylvania Hungarian community from to the time of his death in 1958 He hademigrated to America in 1904 as a promising youngppet-journalist Throughout his career, he was a regular Contribuigir toHungarian American newspapers, maintained 'a widedr rrespondence with prominent Hungarians throughout the UnitedStates, and published four volumes of Hungarian poetry and prose He wastireless in supporting and encouragingHungarian cultural tivities mGreater Pittsburgh Szecskay was one of a smal a f uI of Hungarian writers whb have left a part of the unganan heritage preserved in writing, and the only oneof these to have made Pittsburgh his permanent adoptedhome e Another important component in the cultural life of Hun- garian immigrants was the native-language pressPrior to the Second World War, some thirty different Hung-at-Ian language newspapers had been started in this reOlon The earliest one appeared at the end of 1899. It was edified byKalman Kovacs, pastor of St. Stephen's Hungarian RomancatholicChurchin McKeesport Kovacs continued to publish his newspaper, Magyarok Csillaga iThp Hungarian Star), although-UnderOf- f erent titles, until his death in 1927 Anotherchurch- affiliated publication was'the Amerika, MagyarReforma1usok Lapja (The American) lungarian'Reformed Journal),later the neformitus

21 3 0: Dr: GO:1101tYSA DUEL KAHOLY, sebesz-orvos SD 7046 Jenkins Arc ade, -Pittsburgh, Pa. Sin) 193.-,7ept 17 en, Gal:111)y,7a-iplen meg% e.

Dobsinai olegi laDrfloinor S.1 mu.91, akinck (-4,1 ahg ktts/az e% eel alionfm...1,ilas utarn mar%.111,,birak,polga, mesterei;esa var' megyek klalakulasa utan 'alispanokeoltak. Afel Nideki arany es ezust b,inyaszat tortnelme doanhardena Goinory nevet, mint aniel nek te ekny 1mi7ktdo yogavoltaz egy re nag>obbodo term elesilizernekfelett Dr. Couror> Samuel a szegedi es Ist striarkt gnu- mizIu mokban :ezte kocCpiskolait.majd az erett- segl Inzon it anyinegsierzeseI, tana budapesti TudornAny (-tem or osiszakarah-pet ttesott szerezte meg doktori ok le% elet. Or% osno% endek ko- raban tortki a %Ilaglmboru, annhor onkentes lett es a t eines. ari lladtest korhAzAbaosztottak be gya- kornok nak. A vihighaboru elmilltaval Dr Gombry Samuel ismet a tnidapesti egyetemre kerult1919-ben, mint a Jendrasik, majd a I-lerLzog eg>ecetnitamir klinikai nak assziszt ense, egszen 1923ig es igya legk iva- !ebb orrostanarok oldala mellettt alai(lehetoseget arra, bogy s.ebeszi tudornAn at a legmagasabb (okra kepezzekl. Az eg> re turhetetlenebbe v1116 gazdasagiviszo n)ok folytan, Dr Gomm). 1923 ban jottAnterikaba e8Pit tsburghhantelepedettle,ahola torvenY Altai eloirt korhazi gjakorlati uloutAn jeles siker- rel sierezte meg azellarniengedelytarra, hogy orvoSi oakorlatot folytathasson es rendelojet, foleg az (degeselmebetegsegek retendezeebe,mint, a mely banelS:.lenduspecialista. Ala pos tudasat azauierikaiorosikorok mes/mesen felismertekes megt isztelonieglii%;"1,:okban A res/esitettek. IgYLett/ aiInternationalIngtitute belsbutvosikiiranakmgbeesulttagja,az Ame- ricanMedicalAssoc ial ion,aztheclieny County Medical Association, az .% 'can PsWilatric Asso elation, a pit mbin gill Sclera e and Art, a The Aca clenty- of sity Club tagja.

Illustration 19,Biographical sketch of Dr. Samuel Kkoly GOmbry.

2231 Wag (Reformed Newspaper)r- The two fraternal associations withheadquarters in Pitts- burgh also published their own papersThe Verhovay Aid Association s publication, begun in 1918, wascalled Ver- hovayak Lapia (Verhovay Journal). Theofficial monthly of the Workingmen s Sick and BenevolentFe,deration was called Osszetartas (Solidarity) and was published from1912 on The secular newspaper in Pittsburgh wasthe Pittsburgh' Hirad6(Pittsburgh Messenger). which beganpublication in =4917 and became the MagyarHirado(HungartanMessenger) in 915 until it ceased in 1925. In the sameyear, it was replaced by the Magyarsag (Hungarians),which is still active These newspapers provided the early immigrantswith news about their communityand also about their homeland They were also important for the obviousfact that they were in the native tongue of theyeopleMost significantly they maintained an awareness-iof the Hungariancommunity in Pittsburgh. by recording its activitiesachievements and growth From,the vantage point of the presen4the Hungariah press represents one of the mostimportant forms of documentation of Hungarian communitylife over the past century .a1Vo Hungarian-Americans and AmericanSociety

As Hungarian-American institutionsbecame established, the relationships and attitudesof Hungarians to American society also changed Initiary. the immigrant lived andworked among fellow Hungarians He did not seek contacts withAmerican society unless industrial, accidents.unemployment or skirmishes with the police made them unavoidableIn the early period, :leaders of Hungarian immigrantssuch as priests, ministers businessmen were the primary contactswith American authorities A very, good exampleof a Hungarianimmigrant reader is provided by the ReverendKalman Kovacs: pastor of St Stephen s Roman CatholicChurch in McKeesport for armast thirty years He entertainedcordial relations with the Pittsburgh Catholic dioceseithe Ainerican press,local officials, .and industrial employers He condemnedsocialist, radical and revolutionary movements andopposed unionization He urged Hungarian immigrants to Joinfraternal societies as the best protection against thefinancial crises of illness and death He exerted considerableinfluence oh Hungarian

23 r4 ki ' immigrants through the weekly newspaper. Magyar Zas216._ which he edited for almost thirty years Though not all shared his views. the majority certainly accepted his leadership and agreed with his position. The course of World War I had a .major impacton the relationships between Hungarian immigrants and American society While immigrant 'elders expressed their sympathy for the cause of Hungary, they counseled Hungariansto refrain from public arguments and to demonstrate good- public behavior at all times This advice was generally follolved In fact, during the war relations between- the Hungarian- American community and local officials remained exceptionally cordial, One of the events which demonstrated the good, relationships was the active support of McKeesport and, Pittsburgh focal officials for fund raising activities of Hun- _ganan-Americans -to benefit war orphans and widowsin Hungary. After 1920, the Pittsburgh Hungarian communityexper- ienced substantial social and economic changes World War I resulted in the termination of large-scale emigration to America and generally discouraged the majority of Hun- garians from returning home Most immigrants decided remain in Pittsburgh permanently and to establish dos relationships with the American community. Hungarian organiza-tion s actively encouraged naturatrzation, teamng the English language, and understanding the American political process For example, the American-Hungarian Social Club of Pittsburgh was formed with the express purpose of assisting immigrants to attain citizenship as well as to-provide good fellowship The First Magyar Self-Culture Society of Home- stead held English language classewice a week Another significant trend of the po§f war years was the rapid growth of Hungarian -owned businesses in the main 'Hungarian centers.Hazelwood. McKeesport. Duquesne, and Homestead Such businesses Clad been in existence 4 since at least 1907, but after 1920 there wasan unprecedented expansion of F ungarian restaurants, grocery stores. barber shops, drug storesendother enterprises serving the needs of Hungarians While the arrival of large numbers xpf newcomers ceased, Pittsburgh attracted a good number of Hungarians with professional skills. They began to arrive after 1,920. Their establishment in Pittsburgh forrped the nucleus of

0 -) t) 24 thesubstantial Hungarian professionaland business community of today One of those who arrived in thisperiod was the young Norman Gluck. He received hishigh_school and university education in Pittsburgh He wasadmitted to the bar in 1926 and since that time has bee,n aprominent Pittsburgh attorney In the course of his career, heassisted strd counseled many Hungarian immigrants and servedfor many years as legal counselor to the William PennFraternal Association Today, nearly sixty years after his arrival inAmerica, he still speaks fluent Hungarian and recalls fondly theHungarian community life of that period Dr. Samuel Gorndry came toPittsburgh in 1923 He had completed medical studies at theUniv.ersity of Budapest After his arrival in Pittsburgh heobtained his pennsylvania medical license. He became a leadingpractitioner in Pitts- burgh and was affiliated with severalmajor Pittsburgh area hospitals He lectured in neurology atthe University' of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Hepublished noteworthy professional studies in the field ofneurology and industrial mental hygiene In addition to hisprofessional attainments, Dr. Gomdry supported someof the major Hungarian social and cultural activities inPittsburgh. He was the founder and lifelong,president of the Hungarian RoomCommittee of the Cathedral of Learning and assistedHungarian cultural efforts in PiftSburgh for fourdecades Joseph Bercsi came to Pittsburghin 1924 as a young mechanical engineer and formerinstructor at the Budapest Polytechnic University His first employment wasat Westing- house and later at Gulf as aprominent research engineer Throughout his professional careerin Pittsburgh, Joseph Bercsi played a highly respectedrote in the support of Hungarian organizations 'andactivities!' He was especially active in helping to establishthe Hungarian Room of the:- Cathedral of Learning and in theHungarian Professional Societyof Pittsburgh. These and many other professionallytrained Hungarian immigralts added an importantcomponent to the already. well-established Hungarian community inPittsburgh Their example of recognized professionalachievement encouraged second-generation Hungarians to turn to technical,professional, and business occupations. In manycases, those Hungarian professionals in well-placedpositions* assisted

`-.) 4 25 tyaspiring university students and newly-arrived4mmigrants in obtaining employment The present predoinanceof Hun- garian engineers, research specialists andtechnicians in Pittsburgh has-therefore its origtrisin the years following World War I, when many immigrants with professionalskills settled in Pittsburgh and established the beginningsof a Hungarian professional community.

2.' Post-War Hungarian-Americans, 1950-1 80

When Hungarians began to .arrive in greaterumbers following World War II, the-Pittsburgh HUngarianco munity consisted of many diversified groups Among thm were immigrant families residingin Pittshurgh since the to n of the century, second-generatio fam les, teachers, attorn Jen g ineers and businessmenhere was also a good.setection of 'churchcorigregPans, culral societies, and other organizations Therefore.the new arrivals foundin Pittsburgh many individuals and groups willing to assistthem as theybegan to establNh their life in America New/Immigrants, 1950-1980

Who were the new arrivals? Three majorgroups can distinguished. First were those immigrants who had. Hungary at the end of World War II. They had escaped fro Hungary prior to the Soviet, occtSpation in 1944;46(fearing physical harm or political persecution. The secondgroup left Hungary in the post-war years as a result of outright political repression Both groups were admitted to the United States as displaced persons irrthe period 1949 to 1953. Those who came to the United States can be estimated as 26,000. The third majorgroupcomprized the best known recent Hungarian immigrants, those who escaped from Himgary following the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. They arrived in this countryin the years 1956 to1958 ThoSe admitted to the United States numbered approximately 40,000. Immigrants from4Hungary, 1945 1980 The following chart shows approximate numbersof Hh garian immigrants to the United States by specificgroups and time ' periods in the post-f945 period. ,Dates of Estim ated immigration number of to the I migrants 1945' 1953 26,000 . 19561958 ,40,000 1958 1 0 5,000 . 19451980 71,000 White politically. historically and socially, these three groups differed from each other, they had some commoncharacter- istics which set thee apart from previousimmigrants They were primarily political refugees,who lett Hungary because they opposed the Soviet occupation ofHUngary and the Communist government imposed on Hungaryafter World War II Another characteristic applicable toall three groups was that most of them were ofmiddle-class and professional background Each of the three groups however, can bedifferentiated in some respects. The first group consistedprimarily of highly- placed governmental officials and military officers,strongly opposed to changes in the pre-war HungarianpOlitical system. The second group includedpredominantly those who supported a democratic systemof government in Hun- gary in the post-war period. Thelast gr6up comprized over- whelmingly young, university-trained professionalsand also a small proportion ofskilled technicians. They had experienced living conditions in Communist Hungary,they rejected that system of government and chosto live in afree, democratic society. After accounting for these differentiations,however, it still appears valid to state that thethree post-war .immigrant groups were primarily politicalrefugees, who had decided for various reasons to repudiateliving undera Communist social and governmental system. The impact of the three post-warimmigrant groups on the Pittsburgh Hungarian American community was quitedifferent from that of the former immigrants. Their totalnumber was relatively small. Those who settled inGreater Pittsburgh in the' post-war Period can be estimated,asclose to 4,000 persons. More importantthan their numerical strength was their role in _contributing to Hungarianprofessional employment, to Hungarian participation intechnological, educational, and cultural ,activities, and to communityactivities to

27 VC0f Vh preserve the Hungarian cultural heritage. TheyJoined the ranks of engineers, technicians,businessmen, educators, and research specialists in Pittsburgh andare now well established in their professionalcareers. In addition, they also find time to support andencourage-HurTgarian community actijAes by memberhip in severalprominent cultural and social organizations seeking topreserve the Hungarian heritage.

The Post-War Hungarian Community

Post-war Hungarian immigrantshave concentrated their social and community actiyitiesin four Hwag.Van-American socielties and organizations. A briefsu mmari dt1,iese organizations will best convey the present directionS-6fHungarian- American community lifein Pittsburgh Foremost among these organizationsis the Hungarian Professional Society of Pittsburgh(Pittsburgh' Magyar Tar- sash) It was founded in1939 by fourteen charter members to provide an association andmeeting Place for persons of professional interests According to Mr George Foley,one of the original founders. the purposes of the societywere the preservation of Hungarian cultural traditions, the exchange of ideas on scientific, cultural and social issues, andfellowship among professional men and women. There wasa great need for such an organization in 1939, buteven more so after 1950 As more and more immigrants of professionalback- ground arrived in Pittsburgh, the HungarianProfessional Society became one of their, most importantoutlets, for personal and professional association. The societysponsored monthly presentations, followed by discussions anda social hour sparked by tea and pastries. Topicscovered in these sessions comprized Hungarian musicHunganan literature, Hungarian history, travelogues, medicine, naturalscience, law,and technology The society also APPOrts otherHungar- ian causes in.Pittsburgh, such as the HungarianRoom in the Cathedral of Learning and fellowships to Hungarian students. It continues to hold monthly meetings andremains the most important association for Hungarian professionalsin Pittsburgh Antither noteworthy association is the HungarianLiterary Circle (Magyar Irodalmi Kor). Itwas established in' 1956 for the purpose of fostering an awareness of Hunganahliterary II

(h. M..yruw 11.1.41 I... of PtItsbnygt.

nnere /./ Pr..10.1 to1,6 o. L.t.....

.0) Away. .1k.1 41.04/ V DOI Iwo*. tk.14vraat

Profes- Illustration 20 Earliest available document pertaining to tile Hungarian sional Society of Pittsburgh, dating back to 1941

I. A Pittsburghi JMagyar Tirsasig Havi MEGHIV6JA

Illustration 21 A 1981 invitationcard of the Hungarian Professional Society at440-'"jter

Illustration 22.The Hun garian.Professional Society inSession, 1981 traditions. Montly meetings of the circle presentreadings or discussions of Hungarian literature, folktraditions, folk music, and literary criticism. These meetingsalso provide opportunities for informal conversation andfellowship, accom- , paniedby tea (sometimes wine) and biscuits. Youiig and old Hungarian-Americans of all immigrant groups ave taken advantage of a veryfine opportunity to preserve a emonstrate their national heritage byparticipating in them n ual performances of the PittsburghFolk Festival, Weld since 1956. The experience gained in learning to perform original Hungarian folk dances and folk customs hascontri- buted substantially to the preservation of Hungariantraditions aw

29 in' Pittsburgh Equally important is the role of the annual performances as a pilblic demonstration to Hungarian-Amer- icans of the high esteem accorded to they heritage by a prestigious cultural event in America. FOr the past three years, the Hungarian Ethnic Group of Western Pennsylvania, an organization established in 1969 to promote Hungarian folk traditions, has presented the Hungarian performance. Thisyear's performance celebrates the twenty -fifthanniver- sary orthe firqestival. Another yeryi5opular Hungarian American communitypro- ject is the establishment of Magyar Park, foundedin 1967: Located six miles from Seven Springs in the beautiful Laurel mountains, it is a wl-developed recreational park for Rats- burgh Hungaria-n-qdmilies. To call/ out this venture, the Pannonia Development Company was formed, whichpur- chased a 138-acre farm and developed it intoa very desirable recreational area. The communitynow consists of 162 lots, most of them held by Pittsburgh families. Cottages, cabins, and more elaborate dwellings have been built by theowners. There is also a community area of 50Acres, corrrprizing a community building, tennis 'courts, a soccer field, and an attractive lake with beach. A special place is reserved fora abell tower housing a historic bell Of the former Hungarian Reformed Church of Alliance, Ohio. Magyar Parkprovidesbot only a very attractive recreational area for its members, but also an important meeting place for young and old of the Hungarian-Amencan community. Picnics, barbecues,camp- fires, impromptu gatherings make up the summer schedule There exists significant potential to extend the rile of Magyar Parkas a community resource for educational ancltomm unity experiences of the Pittsburgh Hungarian-American munity. The four community organizations listed represent on the basis of our obServations and findings, those primarily sup portedby the post-war immigrant groups There are ofcourse other community activities which continue to receive support from the general Hungarian community and are equally significant in theirown sphere Those discussed. h"ever. reflect in a representative manner the interests. aspiriqns. and activities of the post-war imm.igrants The AmericaniHungarian communitymaintains several - educational proOrams at the present time, a practice which can be traced back to the first decade of this century.'4

" tj 30 Illustration 23., Hungarian Participantsin the Pittsburgh Folk Festival.

V 'W 4$6 Aft -A

Illustration 24. . Illustration 25. Scene from Magyar Park Sbene troiti Magyat Park . Unfortunately, these programs are quite limited and fragmen- tary. Bela Biro and Melinda Bessko offered intensive H ungar- van language courses in the LanguageAcquisitions Institute of the,University of Pittsburgh until 1980. At the present,Bela and Agnes Verdy teach a continuing education surveyof Hungarian language amd culture in the Pitt Inforrha)Program. Since 1964 members of the Hungarian Scouts trobris receive some training in Hungarian languaje, literature,history, and folklore. At the moment,however, this program faces ran uncertain fut&e. Two smaller folk-dance groups are active: the PaPrik4s Dance Group and the Brownsville Dance Group. There are also three weekly radio programs. Dr. Victor Molnar's program, Hungarian Varieties and Julia Qrosz Hungarian Garden of Song provideprimarily musicenter- tainment. The third prograa isthe Reformed RadWHour,-*" directed by Reverend Loui?Illes. Bela andAgnes Vardy

31--e4o- sponsor useful presentations by visitingHungarian scholars and writers. While showing muchvariety, these programs lack a substantial, educationalfocus. Therefore, a carefully r designed and effectively executed educationalprogram is a A, pressing need of the PittsburghHunganan-Amencan community

Distinguished Hungarian-Americansin Pittsburgh

'Po The aspirations and achievementsof Hungarian-Americans in Pittsburgh can be illUstrated by introducinga small group of those who have distinguishedthemselves by outstanding- services to the professional and public life ofPittsburgh. The selection was extremely difficult. Constraintsof time, information, resources, and personalaccessibility also limited our selections: Many other2quallydistinguished persons could' ceqainly have been added. Ourchoices are intended to illustrate the aspirations andattainments of Hungarian- Americans in a great variety of fields. Our first interview took place withMr. Elmer Charles, prt -sident of the William Penn Association, thebest-known, best-endowed, and largest Hungarian fraternalassociation in the United States. Mr. Charlesemigrated to America with his mother in 1922 at theage of 12. His father was employed in the glue factory in Springdale. Thefamily originated from the village of Turistvandi, Szatmar County.His father had, emigrated in 1910 to set aside savings forthe purchase of a substantial family homestead, a dreamnever fulfilled. Mr Charles related thatas a youth he was strongly influenced by the very livelyHunganan community life of Springdale The family spoke HUngananat home. He attended the annual summer school ofthe Springdale Hungarian Reformdd -Church He participatedregularly in Hunganan stage plays and community festivals.Even today he speaks fluent and excellent Hungarian. 04, Mr Charles originally intended to study engineeEindbli' personal circumstances and the Great Depression changed hfs plans. He held a variety of industrial Jobs and workedon defense contracts during World War II.In 1942 he was appointed branch manager of the William Penn (Verhovay) Association He Joined the home officeadministration in 1950 and has served as presidentsince 1964

41 32 Mr Charles feels very stronglyconcerning the value of maintaining the Hungarian heritage inthe United States. He is very proud o his ownpersonal retention of Hungarian traditions, made possible by the combinededucational efforts of his family, church, and community inSpringdale As a result, he is now interested infurthering plans of the William Penn Asstciation to maintain pride inHungarian culture, to support Hungarianeducational programs in Pittsburgh, and to assist other Hungarianorganizations in similar endeavors We asked Mr. Charles to define someof the present needs of the Hungarian-Americancommunity He replied: The greatest need is to-maintain anddevelop pride in Hungarian culture for the young generationThe preservation of Hungarian culture is the mostimportant task of the Hungarian-American community TheWilliam Penn Associa- tion is prepared ,to contribute tothis important goal by providing opportunities for personal association,teaching, recreational facilities, and maintenanceof Hungarian folk traditions at Penn Scenic View. arecreational area located in the Laurel Mountains Dr. Istvan Tubacame" to Pittsburgh after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. He hadobtained his diploma in mechanical engineering at, the TechnicalUniversity of Budapest Later, he served as technologicaldirector of thBudapest vogational schools and as researchengineer at lhe Csepel Automobile Works. Since his arrival inPittsburgh, Dr Tuba has engaged in a variety. ofprofessional and personal acitivities. He served as design,development and research engineer for the East PittsburghDivision and the Research- Development Center of WestinghouseAt the same time, he completed his advanced studies'atCarnegie Mellon University for his Master's Degree in MechanicalEngineering and at the University of Pittsburgh for hisdoctorate. While working during the day and studying atnight, he also found time to teach as senior lecturer ofmatheinatics and mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon forsix-years. In his free time, he published over thirty papers onthe plasticity of metals, frabture mechanics, and Computertechnology In 1968 he was named Engineer of"the Year by the American Societyof Mechanical Engineers. In 1970, Dc. Tuba decided to chart a newdirection. He founded Basic Technology Incorporated(BTI), a multi-disci- plinary engineering, research andconsulting service special-

^9 33 izing in thermal, stress, dynamic, seismic and failureanalysis. In the past ten years, this enterprise has developedinto one of the highly respectedengineering services of Greater Pittsburgh. It has beensub'stentially expanded toinclude 'a variety of technological and engineering services. It isnow known as United TechnologyCenter, which includesas subsidiaries Basic TechnologyIncorporated, Design Tech- nology Incorporated, andTechnomart. , In view of Dr. Tubas outstanding achievements, it was particularly interesting to find outhis views concerning the Pittsburgh Hungarian-AmericanCommunity. He recalled that he originally came to Pittsburghas one, of ten Hungarian .refugeed :seledted for employmentby Paul Heller, then manager of the East Pittsburgh Division of Westinghouse.In f 966, a ten-year an niversary dinnerwas held at the Pittsburgh Hilton, honoring Mr. Heller and his assodiates.Dr. Tuba expressed his continuing appreciationto Westinghouseand many of his colleagues in Pittsburgh for theirassistance in advancing his professional activities. Dr. Tuba feels that Hungarianshave madeoutstanchng contributions to America, particularlyin the field of science, engineering and technology. Heis very much interested in creating abetter 'publicawareness of these contributions and in promoting closer relationshipsamong those engaged in business and technologicalactivities. He is particularly involved in the Hungarian ProfessionalSociety of Pittsburgh and Magyar Park, two organizationsthat, in his view, make an effective contribution to goodfellowship; the exchange of ideas, and better personalunderstanding among professional men and women.

'14

Illustration 26. Mr. Elmer Charles, President, William ,Denn Aisociation. Illustration 27: Dr lstvan Tuba, United Technology Center,Inc. Illustration 28. Mr Joseph Rokop, PresideneRokop Corporation,and Chairman, Rokop -Davy Limited.

43 34 V

Dr Tuba also commented on his aims inestablishing United Technology Center Originally he saw asubstantial need to demonstrate the practicalapplications of complex computer technologies to small andmedium:size bbsinesses. He is still irkterested in this objective, but he ispursUing it in two expanded directions. He euolained: First of all,I should like to hdlp establish a networkof a wide range of technological resourcesfor usergrouO§ both in Pittsburgh and nationwide Such a network isclearly indis- pensable for the utilization of existing technology inthe most effective manner possible. Secondly, through such ventures as Technomart82, an international exhibit of technologies and asimultaneous congress of technological researchto be held in the Pitts- burgh Convention Center, I hope to contributeto making Pittsburgh a nationwide center of technologicalinformation exchange I believe that such a resource willadvance the economic development of ourcity and region in a 'very significant way." Mr Joseph Rokop is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Rokop Corporation and Chairmanof Rokop-Davy Limited, an international marketing firm inGreat Britain MI- Rokop is a member of the Iron and SteelSociety and of the Business Advisory Board of the United StatesSenate Mr. Rokop left Hungary after the HungarianRevolution of 1956, During the revolutiorf, Mr. Rokop played aprominent role as general secretary of theTransdanubian National Council, representing non-communistdemocratic organizations throughout Hungary and seeking toattain the goals of an independent anddemocratic Hungary Following the Soviet intervention, however, that organizationwasdissolved and Mr. Rokop fled with his wife andthree children to the West. After a temporary stay in WestGermany, he settled in Pittsburgh in 1961. With a degree in mechanical engineeringfrom the Techni- cal University of Budapest and several yearsexperience in industrial design and development, MrRokop, accepted employment with the Koppers CorporationThere he became involved in the early development of cOntinuoussteel casting technology In 1971. foltowtng a number of inventions inthat field, Mr. Rokop founded Rokop Corporation,which has developedthe most adyanced continuous steel billet-casting machine to date. Thi) machine, known as theRokop caster, ,1 35 is now in operation in steel millsin the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Australia. and SouthAmerica. Rokop casters allow domestic steel producersto compete success- fully with the foreign import ofsteel and as a result they contribute to the future creation ofJobs for many thousands of American steelworkers. Our conversation with Mr. Rokop focusedon the contributions of prominent Hungarian-Americans toAmerican society. Mr Rokop gave the following interestingexplanation of the role of the Hungarian Americans in Americansociety. "Hungarians are generally highly-skilled, intelligent,diligent, and above all exceedingly individualisticin thought and conduct Placed in the Amendan environmentbased on freedom and free development, 'theynaturally utilize their intelligence and individuality in the pursuit ofpersonal and professional attainments In myopinion, the greatest service Hungarians can perform for Americansociety and for themselves is to keep alive ti-iir spirit ofJndependence and originality and apply it to the current issuesof American society By doing so, they will strengthen the foUndationsof a free social and economic systemin America." Mr Laszlo Pasztor'has achievedprominence as a representative of several national Hungarian-Americanorganiza- tions and of ethnic political organizationsin the Republican Party At present, he is chairman of the executiveboard of the 41/4mencan-Hungarian Federation and chairman ofthe Allel g heny County Republican Heritage Groups Council, . Mr Pasztor came to the United States after theHungarian Revolution of 1956 He had spentmore than six years in prisons and forced labor camps _as a politicalprisoner in Hungary He left Hungary in order toescape further political 0 persecution. On arrival in the United St4tes, he continued hisprofessional interests in applied chwistry and became activein organizations seeking to provide a better public appreciation of fhe Hungarian Revolution. Hewas employed by the Graham Research Vaboraftercof Jones and LaughlinSteel Corporation from 1957 to 1970 as research chemistand research supervisor. Since 1974, he has servedas manager of product research and as assistant to the Vice- Priesjdentfor New Technology and Planning at Dravo Corporation.In the political arena, he assumed prominent positionsas organizer, editor and spokesman for the Hungarian FreedomFighters Federation. From 1971 to 1973, Mr. Pasztor servedas National Chairman of the National Republican Heritage A ,-, 36 '____L_ _ Federation. From 1971 to 1973, Mr. Pasztorserved as National Chairman of the National RepublicanHeritage Groups Council and in 1974 he was honored asRepublican Ethnic Man of the Year by the Republican NationalCommittee In speaking with Mr. Pasztor, we discussed the roleof his Hungarian ethnic heritage in his numerous politicalactivities He made the following observations on thisquestion "I consider my faithful commitment toHungarian cultural traditions, but especially my strongly-heldviews in support of an independent Hungary thecornerstone of my political beliefs. I am still strongly committed to theprinciples of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956." 4v1r. Pgsztor also commented on hisimpressions of the Hungarran-Amencan community in the UnitedStates He recalled that when he arrived in 1956, atleast 40 to 50 Hungarian-American families offered their personal assistance to him. He also famd in his extensivecontacts with Hungarian-Americans that they show a genuineinterest in Hungarian affairs and are eager to discuss themwhenever the occasion arises. In conclusion, Mr Pgsztor expressed his views onthe Current needs of the Pittsburgh Hungarian-American community. These include, in his view, theestablishment of a community cultural center, sports andeducational facilities. and a better organizational frameworkfor meeting the special needs .of young Hun' arian Americans. Dr Louis Munkgchy is professorof music in the School of Music, Duquesne University Hisprofessional attainments in Hungary and the United States havecentered on choral conducting, choral composition, violin,and musicology Before coming to the UnitedStates ,inyl 956. he conducted professional choral groups inHungafy for five years and served as faculty member of the Ferenc LisztMusical Academy in Budapest After arriving in Pittsburgh,Dr MunkachyVected the string music program of ChartiersValley Public Schools and conducted several church choirs.At the same time, he obtained his master's degree innausic composition at Du- quesne in 1962 and his Ph Dinmusicology at the University of Pittsburgh in 1968 He has been' amember of the Duquesne music faculty since 1966. Dr. Munkachy is known as theoriginator and foremost autlprity of the Kodily approach tomusic education in Pittsburgh. This approach was developedby the Hurigarian

37 40" V

composer, Zolt5n Kodaly It is now being studied and applied worldwide as a_ simple yet very successful method forthe musical education of children Dr Munkachy conceives of the Kodaly approachas a philosophy of education applied to the field ofmusic. Its basic purpose is to provide musical experiences.and appropriate musical training to alf children according tovery definite educational principles It inyolves a series of musicalexperi- ences starting with very simple childrens games and songs These are followed by simple-explanations andpractice in musical reading As progress is made, more complexmusical material is introduced The KodSly methodemphasizes singing as a practical music experience Childrenare encouraged from a very earltage to partitipatein group singing as an integral part of education and socialinteraction We asked Dr Munkachy to explainsome of the specitic advantages of the Kodaly approach The primary benefitis that it provides to all children the opportunity of participation and appreciation Since it prefers touse folk music material, children are exposed to a great deal of American folk music from a very early age. Thisexperience broadens their understanding of American culture and also makes them aware of other folk traditions. Inview of the easy availability of several folk music traditionsin Pittsburgh, these traditions could be introduced in Pittsburgh schoolswithout difficCilties Group singing providesa shared community experience that has a stimulating impact on the overall development of children Finally, sucha program of musical education is very easy to implement According to DrMun- kachy, one teac+er trained in the Kodgly approachcan serve as coordinator of school activities -Raining programs in the Kodaly approach are availablein Pittsburgh, at several American universities, and 1n Hungary, pr Munkachy and others offer summer workshoris at Du- quesne University Three national centers in, the United StateS offer special education programs in the Kodaly,approach. the Kddaly Center of America at Southeastern Massachusetts University near Boston, the Kodaly Musical Training Institute at the University of Hartford. Connecticut, and the Organize tion of American Kodgly Educators The primary center for' studying the Kodgly approach in Hungaryis the Zoltgn Kodgly Pedagogical Institifte of Musicin Kecskemet, the birtftplace oj Zoltgn Koddly. ^w

38 *No

Dr. Munkachy made outstanding contributionsto a better awarenessof the Kodaly approach in Pittsburghand the United, States. Since 1972 he has offeredgraduate summer workshops for music teachers at DuquesneUniversity. He teaches several courses at Duquesne concernedwith the Kodaly approach. He presented several publiclectures to teachers and music-groups explaining theprinciples of the Kodaly approach. He contributed to the first standard English- language study of the Kodaly method,Jeno. Adam, Growing in Music (Budapest, 1971). Asa result of his teaching and influence, severalPittsburgh area teachers and musicianshave studied in Hungary and re applying theKodgly approach in their professional activities. Christine Jordanoff, associate professor of voiceand music theory at Duquesne, isa former student of Dr.Munkachy. She studied in Hungary and is one of the noted experts onthe Kodily method in Pittsburgh, She is president of the Organi- zation of American Kodaly Educators dnd isengaged in organizing a Pittsburgh chapter. Edward Bolkovacalso studied with Dr. Munkachy and receiveddiplomas from the Liszt

es.

Illustration 29.Mr. Lasze PIsztor, chairman, Allegheny CountyRepublican Heritage Groups Council, with President Reagan, Illustration 30. Dr. kouis Munkachy, Professor of MusicDuquesne University Illustration 3i.' Mayor Richard S. Caliguiri, Mayor ofPittsburgh. 'Illustration 32 MI. Frank S'altot, General Manager, Electro-MechanicalDevi -, sion, Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

39 48. Academy in Budapest and the Kodaly Institutein Kecskemet. He is now faculty member of the Kodaly Programat Holy Names College, Oakland, California. Dr Munkachy expressed his readiness to respond toany questions or provide assistance to those seeking information on the Kodaly approach to music edUcation He noted thatan excellent opportunity for learning; about Kodaly andhis approach will take place in Pittsburgh in April 1982. when Professor Erzsebet SzOnyi, the foremost Hunga7ian authority on th,e "Kodaly approach. will visit Pittsburgh and lecture to musicians, teachers, and the general public Mr Frank liakos is general manager of the Electro-Mecr- anical Division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation Bornin McKeesport, he is a third-generation desCendant of Hungar- ian immigrants His professional career spans twenty yearsof management experience with Westinghouse in 1977 he received the Westinghouse Order of Merit for his outstanding personal and professional attainments In his present position. he directs thd worldwide research.'engineering, production. and marketing operations of a major Westinghouse Division Mr Bakos has an exceptionally high regard for his Hun- garian family' heritage, particularly as he has experienced Hungariari traditidns through his immigrant grandparents He feels that the single most importantinnuence on himwas that of his maternal grandfather, Andras Ftistos. He still admires his strong character, his personal example, anti his sustained personal guidance Andras FilistBs arrived in 1904 in McKeesport frorh the village of Nagyraska,Zemplen county. He came from a very strict Reformed faith family and wasa lifelong member of the First Hungarian Evangelical and Reformed Church in' McKeesport He married Eszter Ban yacski in the same church in 1914 Until he retired in 1957. Ftlistds worked for the National Tube plant in McKeesport Giandfather Fiistbs was clearly a remarkably strongperson ality and respected as the head of the.family by second and c, third-generation family "members Mr Bakos saw in his grandparents, particularly the FustOs branch, an ideal example of a close family community with the capacity to guide and educate their children and gra6dchil dren His grandfather adviseid him, listened to his problems. and implanted moral values that still guide his thought and action As a result of his grandfather's instuction, for ex-

l O 40 ample. Bakos attended the Hungarian ReformedChurch school regularly and learned Hungarian Though hisgrand- father was strict and relentless, Frank Bakos attributes much of his4kown idealism and commitment to the Hungarian heritage to his personal influence Frank Bakos summarized his understanding of theHungar- ian heritage that he had experiencedthrough his grandparents rn these words. 1 am proud of the culture that could producepeople of the quality of my grandfather, Andras Fastos All,thepeople I grew up with were Hungarians. They werepeople of honesty and integrity they were Hungary to me I am probd 'ofHungary because of the people Iknew as Hungarians" Mr Bakos agrees that Hungariams made significant contributions to American life But he also feels stronglythat in the past many Hungarians failed to professtheir Hungarian identity He considers this tendency as detrimental, tothe Hungarian community in the United States At the present timer Hungarians are becoming more awareof the impor- tance of asserting their Hungarian heritageT is is justified, in the view of Frank Bakos, by thevery signifiG nt Hungarian achievements in business, technology, scien e, andeduca- tion, which should instill pride and strong et is identity But there is an even more important reasonr th al of Hungarian awareness. In the view ofGank Bakos,he present achievements ,of,HUnganans *a based bn t e sacrifices of thefirSt-gener immigrant whoimplmea strong desirefor socialnd e oQomeadOndement their children and gave them a syllerp of values bywhich o live In his comrpenR on the'presort tiQeCIS of Hungarians; in Pittsburgh, Frank Bakos eniph4rzeti "his concernfor tfie future prese(vation of Honganatftractr HeiS part icularIN? interested in finding ways for Making t meAtv,:, ingful to young Hungariang and to Amerwas Hepledgedlllt support to programs that seek to preserveandtransrll'ihes-' Hungarian heritage in an effective manner. -!" 6 Ito!t e. Mayor Richard S' Caliguin took the oath of office onicbr'y 11, 1977 Since then he has created a remarkable sons qof Public commitment to the future developmentof PittsburtOt. He initiated the SecOnd Pittsburgh Renaissance,Seeking to..0 improve the quality of life of all Pittsburghresident's, geigh: borhoods, and the city as a whole The Mayor's program is 50 ,.2.0' now receiving nationwide attentionas a successful approach to urban revitalization In the course of his publiccareer. Mayor daliguin had repeatedly spoken of his Hungarianfamily heritage In res- ponse to our request he graciously consentedto an interview and discussed with genuine interesthis own family heritage and the current role of ethniccommunities in Pittsburgh Itis therefore a particular honor to includeMayor CAliguin among prominent persons of Hungarian descentin Pittsburgh According to information provided bythe Mayor and his family the Mayor s maternalgrandmother was an immigrant from Hungary She waSKatalin Tomo& She cameto. Pittsburgh with her sister about1904 at the age of 23 Her father was a shoemakerin the small village of Lazi. Veszprem< county Soon after her arrival in Pittsburgh.she began work as a cook for one of the wealthy SquirrelHill fames There she met Salvatore Curto, an immigrantItalian gardener. who had cometfrghl Catanzaro, ItalyThey were married in 1907 Salvatore Curto was soon able to buildan attractive family home at the edge-of FrickPark Sevenchildren were born and one of them, Catherine, married ChristopherCaliguiri They are the parents of the Mayor Family life in the curt° familywas an interesting blend of Hungarian, Italian, and American customs.Katalin and Salva- tore spoke English at home, butthe children learned their prayers in Hungarian Katalin was an expertcook an excellent homemaker, and loved to dance,sing and celebrate holidays in the Hungarian style She liked toparticipate in social events at St Stebhen s Hungarian CatholicChurch in Mc- Keesport and at St Ann s Churchin Hazelwood Her many Hungarian friends visited her frequentlyEaster. Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Yearswere the special holidays when all family members gathered at the Curtohome Mrs. Curto was widely known for her Hungarianspecialties.kalacs. Tank, fruitbread, airn6s rates (strudel),and palacsinta The Mayor recalled these holidaysas special family celebrations. when everyone enjoyed good fellowshipand the feasts prepared by his grandmother The Mayor remembers his grandmotheras a fan-loving, cheerful and gracious' person withan unbounded affection for all her chili4ren and grandchildrenShe taught them to respect people regardless of their religion,.ractornationality The Mayor still recalls the specialatmosphere of peacefulness

42 51 and loving care thatcharacterized the Curtofamily He considers that harmoniousfamily life as possibly the most fruitful influence of his4Thaternalgrandparents Speaking from personal experience,the Mayor also commented on the personal qualitiesof Pittsburgh Hungarians Hungarians are good-natured,fun-loving, He has found that quali- gracious, and cheerful Heobserved and valued these Traditionally, Hungar4 familiestaught ties in his own family their /children to be tolerant' andrespectful of other peoples, / traditions, and values He sawthis teaching exemplifiedboth Hungarians. in his own family andin.his personal contacts with The Mayor thought that he hadbeen strongly influenced by / these values both in hispersonal and public lifeExpanding ability to accept on this topic, heexpressed the view that the unfair criticism andto turn the other cheekis vitally important Hehad learned todo so in part 2k aresult of his Hungarian-Italian family lifeSummarizing This part of the discussion, the Mayor said. that one part of my family Ifeel privileged and honored heritage is Hungarian the current revival ofethnic The Mayor commented on development as a cultures in the UnitedStates 'He sees this very important and fruitfulaspect of contemporaryAmerican life. It is a recognition of thecontributions made by imipigrants to American society, but evenmore important, itreflects the cultures in creating a senseat com- present role of ethnic' of munity in neighborhoodsand an increasing awareness cultural values fin Americansociety at large Miltsconcluding remarks, the Mayorstated:1 1444 Italian I am proud to be associatedwith the Hungarian and made out- immigrant traditionsI believe that immigrants Amerman economic,professional standing contrOutions to that nd cultural melt isone of the strengths of this country the preservation we value thesecontributions and encourage of ethnic cultures I willcontinue tp support theremarkably -diversified ethnic traditions ofPittsburgh in whatever wayI a contribution to abetter canI commend -this project as understanding of the Hungarianheritage in Pittsburgh' .

43 5. SOURCES 1 NDREFERENCES

The purpose of these bibli gr6phicalreferences is to assist the teacher, student,' andgeneral reader in locatingthe most significant source materials relating to the topics coveredin this curriculum kit. Therefore,only the most importantsources readily accessible in Pittsburgh are listed. The referencesare grouped by chapters ofthis narrative. Furthersource materials can be found in Educational CurriculumKits 8 and 9 of this )!series.

a.Background of Emigrants

Several excellent studiesrelating to the statistical. economic. I 1 social geographicand ethnographic background / ganah emigration of Hun- have been published Someare available only in Hungarian Themost significant are 1 Paul Bddy. "Hungarian Emigration.1880-1970," in N F Dreiszigler led.)truggle and y i n e F /r),,nolCe (Toronto, 1981) John Kos?, "A Century of HungarianEtnigratin, 1850-1950," The American Slaw(' andFaVFdropean Review (Decem- ber 1997).,XVI, 501:514 Julianna Pusk6s, Emigritidd. fromHungary to the United States beThre 1q1,1 (Budapest,1975) Available from the project staff Istvan Flacz, A Paraszti mIgra-cto espolitikai megite-/e-se Mag- yarorsza-gon 1849 -1914 (Budapest:Akade-miai KiadO, 1980) (Peasant migration and its politicalkidgement in Hungary, 1849-1914). Availably from theproject staff. Gustav Thirring, "HungarianMigration of Modern Times," )nternatronal Migrations ed. WaltcrF Willcox (New York, 1931,), II. 411-439 The studies131 Pusk6s andThirring summarize thestatisti- cal background Rgcz providesthe most detailed analysis of the pre-1914 emigration Puska's anttOdyanalyze both the quantitative and qualitve elements All studies suggest further studies for re rch

4 44 b.Early kiUngarianlipmigrants in Pittsburgh

Information for this topic has to be assembledfrom'a great variety of-records and sources, not easily accessibleThe most informative sources include: , Kalm4n K4Idor, ed. Magyar Amerika IrSsbanes Ke.pben (Hun- gartan America Written and Illustrated) (St.Louis, 1937] In Hungarian. Excellent background on the earlyhistory of Hungarian- Americans. Available in the CarnegieLibrary, Pittsburgh.' 1

0, Available from project staff. Sgndor Toth, ed. Jubileurni Ern16kkjinp(Memorial-Album) (Pittsburgh, 1940). Excellent information on the Hungarian Reformed Churches in Pittsburgh Available fromproject staff.

c., Hungarian ImmigrantLife 1900-1940 . The most informative sources are the anniversarypublica- tions and other records of Hungarian churchcongregations, societies, and irgianizations, and theHungarian-language press. The anniversary and otherrecords are listed in Educa- tional° Curnculum Kit 8. The Hungarian-language pressin- cludes Magyar 2aszl6(1899-1927), Pitt sburghi I:iiradai g07- 1915), Magyar Hirack5 (1.915-1925). and i',1agyarsg(1925 present)

45 .. 'd.Post-War Hungarian Immigrants.1950-1980

The most important recoraare the papers of organizations. church congregations. theHunganan-language press. and personal collections Also importantare oral recollections by individual .persons Thischapter utilized the lattersource extensively Future studies shouldrecord on tape 'carefully prepared oral history recollection

1 .0 NO s ,

46 t HUNGARIANETHNIC HERITAGE STUDY OF PITTSBURGH N 4;- The Hungarian Ethnic Heritage Study of Pittsburgh has published ten curriculum kits that°present aspects of the Hungarian ethnic heritage in Greater Pittsburgh. Following are the curriculum kits that havebeen published: 0

1.Children's Hungarian He stage 2.Hungarian Immigrants in Greater Pi sburgh, 1880- 1980 3.GuidetoHistoric Hungarian Places in Greater Pittsburgh 4.., Hungarian Community Life in GtekterPittsburgh 5.Hungarian Folk Traditions Revisited 6.Hungarian Folk Arts and Crafts- 7.Survey of Hungary:Past and Present 8.Hunganan Historical Sources and Cdllections in Greater Pittsburgh 9.Bibliographical Guide to Hungarian-American Sources 10.Teaching Guide for Hungarian Curriculum Kits

For information concerning the_HungananEthnic Heritage Study of Pittsburgh, please contact:

Dr. Paul BOdy Dr. Ruth Biro 5860 Douglas Street 5600 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Pittsburgh, PA 15217 TOI: (412) 422:8370 Tel:(412) 421-8384